


Sephira Chronicles: Yoshino

by Tohka_Yatogami



Category: Date A Live
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:55:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28985973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tohka_Yatogami/pseuds/Tohka_Yatogami
Summary: (Imported Work from fanfiction.net)Remade version of "Yoshino Friendship"
Relationships: Itsuka Shido/Himekawa Yoshino





	1. Chapter 1

**Hey there everyone! After a long wait, the promised recreation of "Yoshino Friendship" has arrived, now in its true form as part of the "Sephira Chronicles" series! Do know that while this first chapter's out right now, it'll be a while before you can expect any updates, because I only made this first chapter now to mark that it's been a year since I submitted its predecessor.**

**First off... if this is the first Sephira Chronicles stories that you're reading, here are some shared rules between them to help you understand the changes that result from Tohka switching places with another Spirit.**

**~ Shido will meet each Spirit during April, but on the day that matches their associated number, like how Tohka's is 10.**

**~ Instead of copying Tohka's story, the events of the Spirit's debut volumes will be adapted and merged into Volume 1's. In exchange, Tohka will appear when the focal Spirit would have appeared in canon, and do the same in reverse.**

**~ The DEM will only show up after Shido's dealt with 4 Spirits, reflecting how they didn't appear until after he re-sealed Kotori.**

**~ The swapped Spirit will often replace any Tohka specific scenes, but if a scene requires a scene with Tohka, then Mana will appear from the start to act in her place.**

**~ Depending on how certain events in the story go, others may be skipped due to it being necessary, or the story itself causes it.**

**Anything else that happens depends on my story writing, and etc.**

**With that all out of the way, the most important question I should answer is with how this story is Shido/Yoshino, will I be keeping Yoshino in her younger form, or aging her up? The answer to that is she'll get older, but not instantly. She's at least a teenager going by the short story where she and Natsumi join Kotori at her middle school, as such... well, you'll find out when it happens.**

**For now, let's begin this story!**

* * *

**«»** \- First use of a Spirit's Code Name, or a Realizer's Name

 **‹›** \- Important Term, Phrase, or Detail

 _"Italic"_ \- Yoshinon Speaking

 ** _Bold Italic Underline_** \- Major Battle Beginning, or its Result

 **「」** \- Insert Song Beginning, or Ending

 **【】** \- Voice made by an Announcement, or through an Announcer

『』 - Electrical Voice or Machine Speaking

* * *

**_ Chapter 1, Yoshino Friendship Arc - The Girl in the Rain _ **

_A girl wearing a green raincoat was seen standing in a small shrine, completely alone as the rain fell around her, yet not a single cloud in sight. The closest thing she had to company was a single white puppet on her hand, shaped like a rabbit with an eye patch over its right eye._

**_"For as long as I can remember, I've come to this strange place, and under this familiar rain. How long has it been since I've been here?"_ **

_The girl began walking forward, and then started to hop across the puddles made by the rain._

**_"The only friend I know... is Yoshinon, she's my friend, and my hero."_ **

_Landing in the puddles again, the splashes got bigger, only for them to stop as the girl turned her head to see something._

_Hovering in the sky, a group of people wearing mechanical suits began flying towards her._

**_"But I'm not the only one here, because... these people appear, trying to fight me. I can't bring myself to fight them, I don't want to hurt anyone."_ **

**_"All I want, the only thing I want, is one simple answer... how was I born?"_ **

_The girl began to fly away, evading the incoming weaponry being used against her._

* * *

***Asterisk War - Waiting for the Rain: Instrumental, plays***

**(*slow, gentle violin plays*)** A black screen had some white rings expand from various spots, soon showing ripples as the sight of a wet street was seen, with a slow drizzle causing more ripples across the puddles scattered about.

_[My name... is Yoshino Mizui, Spirit No. 4, and this... is what things would be like if the first Spirit that Shido met, was me.]_

**(I sit within the rain...)** Yoshino stared at the ground, the entire world around her having no color, just a gray monochrome with only her colors standing out in the strange landscape.  
 **(Soaking my heart in this stormy sorrow...)** She held Yoshino closer, and the puppet pat her head, only for her to suddenly fade away into snowflakes.  
 **(Because I stand here, all alone!)** As her only friend disappeared, Yoshino began to cry, and began walking on her own through the colorless world she couldn't escape from.

 **(The clouds hold my melody, of aquatic rhythms...)** She then stepped on a big puddle, and felt the world around her begin to ripple, surprising her a bit.  
 **(Hiding the joy of the sun...)** As she looked around, someone walked behind her, covering her with an umbrella.  
 **(But then one day, a ray of light finally shines through!)** Turning around, the colorless world began to change, with the sight of Shido standing over her, and his smile painting away the gray she could see.

 **(I sit within the rain!)** Looking at his eyes, Yoshino's began to sparkle.

 **(Will you reach out to my heart?)** Shido brought her to his house, making her some Oyakodon to try.  
 **(Then drown out my sorrow, so I can understand the happiness you feel?)** Taking a spoonful, she took a bite, and felt the warmth it spread into her body.

 **(Let the sun shine today!)** Yoshino sat on Shido's lap as they sat on a bench, the latter helping her learn to play a flute.

 **(Please, share that wonderful feeling with me.)** The two went stargazing, sitting near a tent.  
 **(I want to live my life with you.)** A cold wind blew through, making her shiver.  
 **(So, I beg of you... to quell this storm!)** The two go inside, where Shido helped her into a sleep bag, and rubbed her head until she fell asleep.

 **(Please, quell this storm!)** Yoshino returned back to the scene with the umbrella over her head, and began walking with Shido as he took her hand.?  
 **(And let the sun shine again~)** Eventually, the sun's light breached through the clouds, making the rain stop. As she looked to the sky, Yoshinon was seen waving at her with a happy smile on his face.

 **(I sit within the rain...)** Yoshino soon returned that smile, and the lingering gray completely faded, leaving the sun to reflect across Tengu City's many puddles.

* * *

**_~April 4th_ **

Today was a really bad day for the first day of school, because around the halfway mark for most students heading to Raizen High... an unexpected rain began pouring, despite the forecast for a clear, cloudless sky. One such student was Shido Itsuka, and because he'd end up late if he went home to pick up an umbrella, he had to use his school bag as a cover, which worked well due to lacking any school papers to get soaked.

"Man, the weather forecasts have been horrible as of lately. Why has it been raining so much these last few days!?" Shido complained, with his mood matching the water.

*SPLASH*

"Huh?"

Shido turned as he heard a sudden splash, and when he did... he saw a young girl wearing a green raincoat with bunny ears as part of its hood's design, as well as a string with a fluff ball to represent a bunny tail, with matching rain boots on her feet. The only odd thing was a rabbit puppet on her left hand, which had an eye patch over its left eye.

As he looked at her, Shido noticed she reminded him of his little sister, as she looked to be Kotori's age... however, that thought quickly ended when the girl suddenly tripped on the ground, the rabbit puppet flying off her hand.

"Hey, are you OK!?" Shido worriedly asked as he rushed over.

As he helped the girl up, she looked towards him, taking a moment to regain her focus.

"Oh good, you aren't hurt?" He asked.

Once she could finally see him directly, she gave a light gasp, and then suddenly backed away to the nearest tree.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Shido asked.

"Please, don't came any closer to me..." She whimpered, looking away from him.

That surprised Shido, who noticed her shaking like a leaf.

"Don't hurt me... please, please don't hurt me..." She begged, completely terrified.

And with that line, the teenage boy was officially concerned for the girl.

'She's completely terrified of me... is she shy, or did something bad happen to her?' Shido thought worriedly.

However, it was at that moment he saw her hand bare of the puppet she was wearing on it moments before, which was lying a few feet away.

'Oh, I get it, this puppet must be a security blanket for her.' Shido realized.

He picked up the puppet, and then walked right up to the girl, who was still shaking in fear, unaware her puppet was right next to her.

"This is yours, right?" Shido inquired.

"Huh?"

The girl looked towards him, seeing the puppet in his hands. Reaching out, she took it back, and placed it on her right hand. The moment she did, the puppet shook erratically, and then...

" _Thanks for that, you're a lifesaver_!" The puppet said in an entirely different voice.

'Wait, what the!?' Shido thought in surprise.

The puppet laughed at his reaction, even holding its hands near its mouth for effect.

" _Though you sure did touch me in a lot of places, so how was it? Be honest and tell me._ " The puppet asked with curiosity.

Shido's jaw nearly dropped in shock upon hearing that. Regardless if she had a puppet or not, with how young she looked, that was the last thing you'd expect to hear her say.

"Wow, that's some... really impressive ventriloquism for your age." Shido praised.

Upon saying that, the girl stopped move, and then... the puppet got closer, with its eyes actually glowing a dark red.

"What... what's wrong?" Shido asked, suddenly afraid.

" _I do not know what you are talking about, what is... ventriloquism?_ " The puppet asked menacingly.

Hearing that, Shido suddenly fell on his back, his entire body trembling as he swore the area was getting darker.

"W-wait... are you alive?" Shido stuttered.

The puppet's eyes suddenly stopped glowing, and suddenly began to laugh.

" _Oh, wait... I think I get it. You're one of those people who jokes around a lot aren't you?_ " The puppet laughed.

"Y-yeah, I guess I am a bit of a comedian." Shido said in relief.

It was only at that moment that Shido realized something he hadn't prior, even when doing ventriloquism, a person's mouth would move slightly if seen from up-close... yet hers wasn't. However, he didn't have time to think about it as a bell rang, making him gasp in horror.

"Oh crap, I'm gonna be late for school!" He realized.

He quickly grabbed his bag, running off to hopefully make it in time. As he did, the girl watched him leave, with the puppet giving a look of thought.

" _Hmm... that lucky lecher was interesting, I wonder if we'll see him again?_ " The puppet wondered.

* * *

Shido soon made it to school, and like most of the students there, he was wet, freezing, and shivering in his wet uniform.

"M-made it... just in... time!" Shido panted, slowly walking to his desk.

As he sat down, a tickle entered his nose, warning him to the fact he was about to sneeze.

"Oh no..." He was about to lose the battle.

*ACHOO*

Right as he sneezed, someone threw out their hand, causing him to sneeze into a tissue. Sniffing a bit, he suddenly noticed said tissue, and turned to see a girl with short, white-colored hair, wearing a poncho over her entire body.

"Uh... hello there?" Shido awkwardly greeted.

"You don't recognize me, Shido?" She asked.

"Am I supposed to?" He responded back.

Seeing that he didn't know anything, the girl threw her poncho to the side, and just sat down without a word.

"Really? You don't know who that is?" Shido's classmate, Hiroto, inquired.

"Then who is she?" Shido asked.

"She's Origami Tobiichi, the super genius. The one who's has some of the best grades, ridiculous at sports, and is always within the top 3 of the: "Girls I'd like as my Girlfriend" list." Hiroto answered.

Shido looked at her in surprise.

"Whoa, seriously?" Shido replied.

"Yeah, but more importantly, just how in the world does Origami know who you are?" Hiroto inquired.

After the next seven hours passed, with a struggle to teach because everyone, even the teacher herself, had to deal with their soaked forms. As Shido put all his papers away, while also trying to warm his shoulders, Hiroto walked up to him.

"Hey, Shido? Wanna go home together?" Hiroto asked.

"Can't, I have plans to meet my sister at Danny's for lunch, although the weather's probably going to make me late." Shido politely declined.

"Don't blame you, the weather's been crap for the last couple of days, way too many April Showers to be normal." Hiroto remarked.

However, right as that moment...

**【** **"WARNING! YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! THERE HAVE BEEN PRECURSORY SIGNS OF AN IMPENDING SPACEQUAKE IN THE CITY! PLEASE EVACUATE TO YOUR NEAREST SHELTER! I REPEAT!"** **】**

"A Spacequake!?" Shido said in surprise.

"The rain's bad enough, but the quakes have only been happening in the rain as of recently too!" Hiroto said in annoyance.

Panicking a bit, Tamae ran to the door before pointing at it.

"Kids, we have to evacuate immediately!" She shouted.

At that moment, Origami suddenly got up, going through the door opposite to the one Tamae was standing at, completely failing to notice her one student leaving somewhere else. Shido looked at her oddly, wondering where she was going. However, he didn't focus on it as everyone else began to evacuate, and he dialed his sister's phone number.

"I hope Kotori's evacuating to the nearest shelter." Shido thought out loud, listening to the ringing of his phone.

『"The number you are calling is not available right now, please try again later."』

"Crap, guess I better check her location." He decided.

He let his GPS track her, but when it loaded up, his eyes widened with dread at the area it was registering her at...

It was Danny's!

'No, this is... why didn't she take shelter? Eating today there can't be more important than her life, can it!?' He thought, running off to make it there.

"Shido, where are you going!?" Tamae panicked as she saw him run off.

He began running across the city, hoping to make it to Danny's before anything bad happened, pushing all his adrenaline into his legs.

'Kotori...'

"Kotori...'

'Kotori!'

As he made a turn, a pulse went off, signaling the beginning of the Spacequake. The good news? It wasn't anywhere near Danny's, but the bad news? Well... he might have just run into the blast radius. Watching the Spacequake go off, he closed his eyes as he expected to die, but then... he felt the noise end, surprising him a little.

"Wait, that was it?" Shido said in confusing.

Lately, it seemed Tengu City was facing smaller Spacequakes more often than the larger ones, which made some think it was coinciding with the strange rain patterns as of recently. He kept heading towards Danny's, hurrying to get to Kotori, who was likely scared out of her mind from the blast.

However, once he got near the crater... Shido suddenly stopped, his eyes widening in shock.

"No way... that's... impossible..." He breathed, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Standing right in the crater's epicenter, against all odds and possible logic that Shido thought he knew... was the girl he met only hours earlier, almost as if _she_ made the Spacequake!

'Wait a second, that puppet from earlier acted like it was... could she not be human?' Shido questioned.

Backing up a bit, part of the ground collapsed near where he was standing, and while he didn't fall in, the girl noticed the unexpected sound. Looking towards it, the girl noticed Shido, making her gasp slightly at the surprise of seeing him, and then...

That's when Shido saw it, her pure white pupils, the proof she was more than a normal human.

"What's going on here? What... what's happening?" Shido begged, even though no one was there to answer.

However, he'd soon see how wrong he was about no one else being present, as the sound of what seemed to be a jet engine filled the air. He looked up, seeing a bunch of teenage girls, and possibly a young woman, wearing some kind of suits. They immediately opened fired at the girl, causing an explosion of smoke she flew out of, not even trying to fight back. As they continued to fire at her, one of the girls noticed Shido, surprising her.

"Shido?"

Shido turned and saw the one was girl was... Origami!

"Tobiichi? Why are you wearing those clothes?" Shido asked, beyond merely confused at this point.

Unfortunately, Origami chose to ignore him as she continued attacking the girl. The girl kept trying to avoid their attacks, but after a bit of dodging... one of the shots knocked the girl to the ground, making her puppet fall off her hand, immediately filling with fear.

"Captain, we just knocked «Hermit's» puppet off!" One of the girls warned.

"What? Oh no... all troops, fall back!" Ryouko warned.

All the girls got further away as the normally docile girl who just ran away rose her hand, saying the one simple word that destroyed any remaining doubts that Shido had to her possibly being a normal girl.

" **Zadkiel!** "

Her hand slammed into the ground, and with that one action, a powerful blizzard suddenly began blowing. Shido was quickly blinded as he held an arm up to block the intense ice and snow, feeling an extreme cold that made being under the rain feel _warm_ in comparison. As he slowly began losing consciousness, he saw the silhouette of some giant creature appear, and it gave off a mighty roar.

**【** **"The target, Hermit, has been lost."** **】**

* * *

_Shido felt himself only partially conscious, and that part of him saw a strange energy before him._

_"Hello?"_

**_Finally, we meet again._ **

_Shido didn't recognize this voice at all, only seeing a mouth smiling before him without any movement._

_"Who are you?"_

_The smile faded slightly, as if it suddenly became forced._

**_I'm so glad... but just wait, just a little while longer... I won't ever let you ever let you go again, I won't ever be wrong again... soon._ **

* * *

Shido's eyes suddenly widened, and he took a deep breath as if he just escaped being drowned, only then realizing a light was shining into his one eye. He got up, breathing heavily as a silver haired woman looked at him.

"Good, it appears you're awake now." The woman said in... he couldn't tell by her expression, but it looked to be... relief?

"Huh? Wait, who are you?" Shido asked.

"My name is Reine Murasame, just call me Reine." Reine answered.

Right as she answered, and before anything else could be said, the door opened up, making him see who entered. Needless to say, his eyes widened in shock at the sight of his younger sister, wearing some kind of commanding officer's coat, and a pair of black ribbons he recalled giving her on her 8th birthday.

"Glad you finally rejoined us in the waking world bro." Kotori smirked.

"K-Kotori?" Shido said in surprise.

Taking out a Chupa Chups lollipop she was holding in her mouth, Shido's younger sister looked at him.

"Your questions can wait for later, for now... welcome to Ratatoskr." Kotori stated.

* * *

The girl was seen in the alleys of the streets, sniffling as she dug around to try and find her friend.

"Yoshinon... Yoshinon!" She cried.

As her tears started to leak out, the clear sky that had slowly been returning to blue was instantly grayed out again, and another shower of rain followed, but this one was much heavier than before.

* * *

"So, that girl's causing all the unexpected rain we've been having?" Shido replied to what Kotori told him.

"That's right." Kotori confirmed.

Currently, Shido was looking at a screen that showed him recordings from the experience he just woke up from, and the meeting they had earlier today before he went to school.

"This girl is a being we call a Spirit, in particular, we know her by the code name of Hermit. Those Spacequakes we've been getting the past 30 years? She's just one of many that cause them just by coming to this world." Kotori continued.

Shido showed surprise at that.

"All of that... just by one girl?" He breathed in disbelief.

"Hermit's fairly docile compared to the others, so it wouldn't be a stretch to say she's the weakest Spirit. However, she often ends up coming to our world without causing a quake, which is marked by rain without any clouds to cause them." Kannazuki explained.

"But there was no Spacequake when I first saw her." Shido mentioned.

"We don't have an exact answer, but it seems that when they come to this world by choice, they don't cause one. That's why all of us in Ratatoskr seek to help them without killing them like the AST." Reine answered.

"AST?" Shido repeated.

He then remembered Origami, and all those girls attacking her.

"Wait, you mean those girls who were attacking her?" Shido realized.

"The Anti-Spirit Team, whenever a Spirit appears, they attempt to eliminate it. That's where you come in, you give us a method to deal with them for good." Kotori answered, looking at him.

"Uh... OK, so what can I do?" Shido asked.

"There's a way you can seal her powers, but we don't have time to explain that. Right now, you should focus on helping Hermit." Kotori answered.

Shido was confused, but had no time to ask as Kotori showed him a live video of Hermit looking around the city.

"It's her!" Shido realized.

"She became Lost, which means she vanished from the world, a while ago... problem is she lost that puppet of hers. Because of that, she's come back to search for her, and if any of the AST were to spot her right now, they could easily influence things in an attempt to take her out, somewhere the public eye isn't watching." Kotori explained.

"But, if I were with her..." Shido realized.

Kotori nodded, smiling a bit.

"Looks like you're not a total idiot, Shido." Kotori stated.

'She just insulted me, and didn't call me bro!?' Shido thought in surprise.

"Before you deal with Hermit, here's something you need to be aware of if things take a turn for the worse, something you didn't get to see before you lost consciousness." Reine warned.

Looking at the screen, Shido saw Yoshino riding on what seemed to be a giant mechanical rabbit, glowing with the same red eyes as her puppet when he made his... wrong choice of words.

"What... is that?" Shido asked, realizing what may have made the roar he heard.

"This is the ultimate weapon of a Spirit that pairs with the ultimate shield of their Astral Dress, an Angel. In the case of Hermit, she only summons it when truly frightened. If she brings this out while you're with her... run, because there's no way you can face something like this." Reine answered.

Shido gulped nervously, right as Kotori left a headset he could place in his ear, and some kind of... device he didn't recognize.

"This will be our way of talking to you, and a beacon so we can teleport you back to the ship if things get too bad for you to just run away. Now, get down there before anything happens to her, stop wasting time!" Kotori ordered, kicking his back.

Shido shouted before he disappeared through the beacon teleporting him.

* * *

Shido sighed, carrying an umbrella while he began walking through the streets.

"Man, why does she have to be so mean in her Commander mode? She'll probably do me in before any Spirit does.' He groaned.

As he walked by, he heard the sound of something being knocked over. Realizing where Hermit was in the live feed, he looked in the nearest alley, and saw she was there, still searching around for her puppet.

『"Shido, try making it look like you weren't looking for her, she's still got an unstable mental condition after what happened to her."』 Reine advised.

"Right." He replied softly.

He walked a bit closer, and then thought of what he should say.

"It's you."

The girl turned once she heard his voice, and began to run away.

"Wait, hold on a second! Don't run away!" Shido called out.

He motioned his eyes to the puppet he knew was missing, and then said his next words.

"Hey, where's your friend at?" He inquired.

The girl stopped running, and while it seemed like she might just resume her attempts to flee... the reverse happened, and she turned towards Shido, grabbing onto his school uniform as she silently shook.

"Oh no, did you two get separated in the fight?" He asked.

"Yes." The girl softly said, trying not to cry.

He looked at her, smiling to try and comfort her.

"I'll help you find her." Shido promised.

She was surprised by that, right as Shido tapped his headset.

"Kotori, think you search from the Fraxinus?" Shido asked.

『"We're analyzing the video, and checking from every spot we can. For right now, we'll take a back seat while you help her on the ground, as the point is to improve her emotional state towards you."』 Kotori replied.

Shido nods at that, with the girl looking at him the whole time.

"Sorry, I was talking to some friends of mine who should be able to help." Shido apologized.

Kneeling to her eye level, he decided to ask the most important question he could right now.

"By the way, what's your name?" Shido asked.

"I... don't have a name, I'm sorry." The girl answered, looking down slightly.

"Really?" Shido said in surprise.

She nodded her head, making Shido put a hand near his chin.

"Alright, then I'll give you one." Shido decided.

The girl looked at him in surprise, and after a few seconds of thinking, Shido came up with a name.

"How about... Yoshino?" Shido offered.

"Yoshino?" She repeated.

"One of the kanji that makes the name means 4, which is what day of the month it is. Do you like it?" Shido explained.

She thought on it for a bit, and made her decision.

"Yoshino... I like it." Yoshino replied softly, accepting the name.

"Glad you like it." Shido smiled.

As they prepared to walk off to begin searching, Shido briefly stopped Yoshino, and handed his umbrella to her.

"Take it, you could catch a bad cold in a rainstorm like this." He smiled.

Yoshino looked at him, and then at the umbrella handle, before looking back at him again. The act confused her, as due to her powers being able to create rain, and the nature of her Astral Dress, she wasn't able to get wet. Even then, because she was a Spirit, she couldn't get "sick" like a Human could.

"But, you'll-" Yoshino replied.

"Don't worry I'll be alright, really. I want you to have it." Shido smiled.

While she still didn't understand why he wanted her to have his umbrella, Shido was the first person who had ever shown her any kindness, and it made her happy. Because of this, she decided if it made him happy, she'd hold onto it for him.

"Thank you, that's... very kind." Yoshino said in gratitude.

* * *

Kotori gave a playful smirk at Shido while watching his attempt to name her.

"Naming her after the day of the month you met each other? That was really the most original thing you could come up with?" Kotori teased him.

"Commander, we've got an analysis of the puppet in the videos." Shiizaki alerted her.

Kotori looked at her, nodding.

"Alright, bring it up." Kotori replied.

* * *

Around 20 minutes into their search, the two were seen searching behind rubble where some police tape was being marked. However, that search suddenly came to a pause when without any warning... a grumble was heard.

"Huh?" Shido blinked, before looking at Yoshino.

"Did you hear that?" He asked.

Yoshino shook her head, not wanting to admit it was her... until her stomach betrayed her by growling once again, but even louder. Her face turned slightly red, and she pulled her hood over her head out of embarrassment.

"I guess Spirits need to eat as much as we do." Shido chuckled in response.

"I'm sorry..." Yoshino apologized.

"Don't be, let's go to my house, and get you some food." Shido offered.

Yoshino looked at him, nodding slightly.

* * *

Inside of Shido's home, Yoshino was staring at the TV despite it wasn't even on, while he was in the kitchen, cracking an egg into a metal bowl.

"You sure love that puppet, don't you? If it was anyone else, and they lost it, then they would have given up, and bought a new one." Shido commented, mixing the bowl with some chopsticks.

"That must mean she's really important to you, huh?" He remarked.

Yoshino nodded at that, looking towards him.

"She is... she's my best friend, and... she's my hero." Yoshino answered.

"You're hero?" He repeated, turning around.

"Oh yes! See, she's the greatest... she's who I want to be. She's just so brave, so strong... she's not pathetic like I am. If I could be more like her, I'd be so happy... but I'm not, and I'll never be." Yoshino explained, looking a little said.

"Then... does that mean you created her?" Shido inquired.

Yoshino looked at him, wondering what he meant.

"Well... I thought she was just a puppet at first, but when she was on your hand, it seems she was actually alive. Since you can make it rain, it doesn't seem like a stretch you could give her life... I think." Shido explained.

Yoshino paused for a moment, slightly nodding her head.

"If that's the case, then I don't know about all that. As a matter of fact, I like you just the way you are." Shido praised.

Yoshino's cheeks become a bit rosy, and she pulled her hood over her face.

"Hey, is something wrong?" He asked in concern.

"Well... no one's ever said that before, thank you." Yoshino said shyly.

Shido smiled, and soon brought the finished meal to the table, showing it was Oyakodon.

"Here you go, but blow on it first, its hot." He offered her a spoon.

Taking that spoonful, she blew on it a few times, then took a bit. Once she did, Shido noticed her hitting the table making him worry a bit.

"Are you OK?" He asked.

"It's... delicious." She replied, sniffling a bit.

He sighed in relief, rubbing her back.

"I'm glad you like it." He smiled.

* * *

Kotori looked around, trying to spot the puppet.

"I can't see it anywhere, where is it?" Kotori groaned.

"Oh, commander! You look so adorable when you're pouting." Kannazuki remarked with sparkling eyes.

A vein formed on Kotori's head, leading to her smashing her elbow into Kannazuki, making him smile as he was struck.

"Uh, commander? I think we found it." Kawagoe mentioned.

Kotori looked at the screen, sighing in relief.

"Good, now we can retrieve it." She stated.

"About that..." Nakatsugawa replied.

Kotori blinked a bit, soon seeing the sight... before she paled.

"Uh oh..."

* * *

After Yoshino had finished eating all of Shido's Oyakodon, and he had put the bowl in the sink, the two sat on the couch together, where Shido began asking her a few more questions.

"Hey, Yoshino? Why is it you don't try to fight back when the AST attacks you? There's gotta be a reason for it." Shido inquired.

"There is." Yoshino confirmed.

She turned away, a sad look on her face.

"The thing is... I don't like pain, or being scared... I can't stand it. I bet everyone hates those things though, how could they not? Any creature that feels has to despise them... don't you think so?" Yoshino explained.

"Yeah, I agree. Even if it takes it form, there's only so much one can take before things start to hurt, and it's hard to face the things you fear." Shido agreed.

"Then again... I'm just a big scaredy cat. When I'm scared, I freeze up. I can't think... or move... or speak... I'm so afraid. It's like I can't do anything at all, except stand there hoping for someone to save me." Yoshino replied, starting to tear up.

Hearing that, Shido suddenly began to piece together why her puppet gained its own life.

'She's lonely...' He realized.

"It's awful, if I wasn't such a coward... but, I am. The truth is I'm nothing like my friend. When I'm in danger... she's right there by my side, always. She gives me the courage I don't have on my own. She's strong, brave, and fearless... that's why she's my hero." Yoshino sniffled as she finished.

At that moment, Shido began petting her head, making her gasp.

"Why are you petting me?" She asked.

"Don't worry, I'm here to protect you." Shido reassured her.

Yoshino's eyes widened, staring at him like she heard the impossible at that moment. This one boy she only just met? She had offered to help her, more than anyone she had ever met.

"And I'll make sure we find your friend, but even if we don't... you don't need to rely on her to protect you anymore, because I'm gonna be your hero now." Shido declared.

Yoshino kept staring at him, only finding the words after a few seconds passed.

"But... why?" She asked.

"Because to me, it doesn't matter if you're a Human or a Spirit, a girl as kind as you deserves nothing less." Shido smiled at her.

Yoshino blushed a bit, covering her face again.

"Thanks so much for your kindness, Mister..." Yoshino replied.

Right as she said that, only then realized that she never learned what Shido's name was.

"I'm sorry, but... I don't know your name." Yoshino asked.

"Oh, well... that's embarrassing, better fix that right now." Shido chuckled awkwardly.

Lifting her head up, she looked at Shido's eyes.

"My name's Shido Itsuka." He introduced himself.

"Shido... Itsuka." Yoshino repeated.

"Yeah, that's right." Shido replied.

Right as he did, Shido noticed Yoshino's body start to glow, confusing him a bit. Right then, she vanished from view, surprising him.

"Yoshino? Yoshino!?" Shido panicked.

『"Calm down Shido, nothing happened to her, she just returned home."』 Kotori reassured him.

"Home? Wait, where do they Spirits go when they're not here?" Shido questioned.

『"There's another Dimension where they live in, as we don't know what it's officially called, we refer to it as the Spirit Dimension"』 Kotori answered.

"And Yoshino just went back there?" Shido inquired.

『"Shido... how long are you gonna ask me the obvious?"』 Kotori replied with an annoyed tone.

Shido chuckled nervously, clearing his throat.

"So, uh... when will she come back?" Shido questioned.

『"We don't know. It could be as soon as a day, or for a very long time. Though she'll probably be back soon, as she's still missing her puppet."』 Kotori answered.

Shido looked outside, noticing no trace of the rain.

'Yoshino...' He thought worriedly, hoping she'd be OK.

* * *

In another world, Yoshino was seen wearing a dress of light shaped similarly to her Astral Dress, sleeping within what looked to be water glowing with blue light. For a brief moment, her eyes opened half way.

"Shido..." She said softly.

* * *

**That's it for the first chapter of Yoshino's story, and boy does this version feel much better than the original, having a lot more original content thrown in, and actually fusing more of Tohka's arc into than before. Makes me glad that I waited so long before doing this remake, so I'm confident this version will go much better when I can start working on it fully.**

**First thing I'll mention, as I implied up above, since Yoshino will age up at one point, for now? There won't be any major signs of Shido/Yoshino, as their relationship will start off more like a second little sister for Shido, but it'll start changing as more Spirits start showing up, and Yoshino starts recognizing her feelings for Shido are more romantic in nature.**

**Now, as you've probably noticed... I haven't said a thing about Yoshinon's status, and there's the fact I haven't named her. Combined with the opening, which in a twist of my usual style, will be the only one for this story because of the difficulty in finding more than one matching song for every Spirit's scenes... well, I'll let you guess if that means something bad happened, or if she'll show up latter.**

**Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here we are, at the last chapter of the first arc! As I've mentioned in one of my other stories, Yoshino's arc is the one that tends to be the quickest to write about, which probably has to do with how in the anime, her arc was just two episodes, while Volume 2's events can feel much shorter if you don't count any of the events between Shido and Tohka in it.**

**Now, before I officially begin the start notes, I have something important to mention. When you get to this last chapter's scene? There'll be a reveal that's in every Sephira Chronicles story, and it's very important, so make sure you read the end notes to avoid misunderstanding the meaning behind it. Also, you've seen the summary mention the story has spoilers for Volumes 16 through 18, here's some more details each Sephira Chronicles story will share.**

**They are:**

**~ Each story conforms to the Spirit, which means this will have a slight influence on Shido's personality, and Mio Takamiya's personality.**

**~ If you recall the one detail revealed about Tohka from Vol 18... well, I don't think I need to say any more about this one.**

**And... that's it really, just those two details.**

**Well, with that out of the way, this chapter will also reveal if Yoshino is gonna stay, or if she'll disappear. I'm actually quite curious to see how many leaned on each option, because Yoshinon is quite vital to Yoshino's character, and leaving her with an ambiguous fate in the previous chapter helps show the possibilities of a world where she's the focal Spirit instead of Tohka.**

**So, without any further delay... time to get this chapter started!**

* * *

**«»** \- First use of a Spirit's Code Name, or a Realizer's Name

 **‹›** \- Important Term, Phrase, or Detail

 _"Italic"_ \- Yoshinon Speaking

 ** _Bold Italic Underline_** \- Major Battle Beginning, or its Result

 **「」** \- Insert Song Beginning, or Ending

 **【】** \- Voice made by an Announcement, or through an Announcer

『』 - Electrical Voice or Machine Speaking

* * *

**_ Chapter 2, Yoshino Friendship Arc - Sunshine of the Heart _ **

"So, uh... when will she come back?" Shido questioned.

『"We don't know. It could be as soon as a day, or for a very long time. Though she'll probably be back soon, as she's still missing her puppet."』 Kotori answered.

Shido looked outside, noticing no trace of the rain.

'Yoshino...' He thought worriedly, hoping she'd be OK.

At that moment, he finally remembered about Yoshino's puppet, which Kotori and the Fraxinus crew had been searching for.

"Oh, Kotori? Did you manage to find her puppet?" Shido asked.

Kotori's face suddenly began to sweat as she heard him ask her that, not expecting he'd ask that so soon.

『"Uh, well... the thing there is..."』 Kotori stuttered.

『"Shin, that's the bad news."』 Reine said for her.

Shido suddenly groaned, his eyes closing as he realized this was going to be a problem.

"What happened?" Shido inquired worriedly.

『"When we found her puppet, it was nearly finished with... dissolving."』 Kotori confessed.

"It did what!?" Shido exclaimed in shock.

Kotori's voice trailed off, forcing Reine to take over the explanation once more.

『"When we found the puppet, it had already been turning into particles of Reiryoku. With what you were talking to Yoshino about, it was likely made by Yoshino's insecurities, and it's likely your words have made her consider she might not need her. Add to the fact they've been separated for a while now?"』 Reine explained, throwing some suggestions to why it vanished.

Shido's eyes widened as he recalled what he told Yoshino.

_"You don't need to rely on her to protect you anymore, because I'm gonna be your hero now." His voice echoed._

'Then, I made her puppet disappear when I told her that? Is he even aware it's gone?' He wondered.

The thought worried him, prompting Reine to speak again.

『"Shin, there isn't anything you need to overthink. You should just do what you promised her."』 Reine reassured them.

Shido paused for a moment, realizing Reine was right.

"Yeah. Right now, being myself is the best I can do." He agreed.

He suddenly heard his phone ring, getting his attention as he saw Origami calling him... which surprised him.

'Wait, I don't remember putting her number in my phone.' He thought.

* * *

_Right after finishing the first day of class, while Shido was talking to Tonomachi, he didn't notice Origami take his phone, and put her number in his contact information without him realizing it._

* * *

Deciding to worry about it later, he answered it to avoid any problems it might cause.

"Hello?" He answered.

『"Shido, come meet me outside."』 Origami asked.

"Eh?"

『"Come meet me outside."』 She repeated with emphasis.

"No, I got that, it's just... are you saying your outside my house right now?" Shido asked nervously.

『"No, I'm behind the light post."』 Origami corrected.

She hung up right there, making him sweat a bit.

"Why am I afraid about where this is going?" He asked himself.

He walks outside, where he instantly spotted Origami, who was... literally hiding behind the light post.

"Origami, what are you doing-" Shido asked.

"Come with me." Origami replied.

Before he could do anything, including refuse her, she immediately dragged him into one of the alleys between a pair of houses.

"Shido, there's something I want to ask you." Origami stated.

"Uh... what is it?" He asked, sweating nervously at the situation.

"During one of my missions, I'm sure I saw you there." Origami remarked.

Shido quickly realized she meant his first meeting with Yoshino, where he saw she was a member of the AST.

"Keep that to yourself. In fact, it's probably for the best if you forget everything you saw." Origami advised.

"You mean about Yoshino, right?" Shido inquired.

Hearing Shido refer to the Spirit by name, Origami showed some surprise.

"Look Origami, that girl is-"

"She's a Spirit. That _thing_ is an enemy I must defeat." Origami interrupted, a scowl on her face.

"What? You really think they're so evil?" Shido asked, gritting his teeth.

Origami nodded her head, glaring a bit.

"Spirits killed my parents, they burned them. They are very evil... and they will pay." She revealed.

Hearing that, Shido's eyes widened a bit. Kotori had told him that while Spirits other than Yoshino did fight back against the AST, it was mainly out of self-defense, or retaliation for years of being hunted... yet to actually kill someone?

Was Origami really telling the truth, or did she make a mistake, and then let herself be convinced by someone else that only they could have done it?

"Have you ever even talked to a Spirit?" Shido inquired.

"What... are you trying to say?" Origami asked, looking confused and surprised by the question.

"I'm saying I've talked to one, and she wasn't anything like you've just described them." Shido answered.

Hearing his reply, Origami was caught by surprise.

Right now, standing before her, Shido was actually _defending_ the Spirits, and that was something she couldn't understand.

"That's too dangerous, you shouldn't do that." Origami said, trying to keep her calm.

"Look, I think you still have a valid point, there's probably at least one bad spirit out there. That could very well be the one you say killed your parents, but... I refuse to believe they're all that way if Yoshino didn't even try to attack you until she lost her puppet." Shido continued.

Origami struggled to respond, and that gave Shido a chance to continue.

"I may not get where they came from, but imagine their position. They've come to a world not their own, and they're lose, completely alone... then we suddenly attack them? If they're doing any damage, then it's because we're giving them reason to. Any that hate us? We've given them that hatred. They're not the enemy... not if we made them this way." He declared.

"Shido..." Origami tried to stop him.

However, once again she failed, and this time? Shido said something that fully settled no matter what Origami tried to say to him... the Spirits were creatures he couldn't view as evil, just misunderstood and afraid.

"So, promise me... promise me you'll stop hurting good people!" Shido begged.

Origami's eyes widened upon hearing that, as if she heard the sound of a gunshot going off. Those words hit her harder than she was sure Shido expected.

"I know you're a good person, and I can tell you're not different. " Shido finished.

"I... can't promise that, I can never forgive-" Origami struggle to say.

"Like I said, maybe there's a Spirit that did kill your parents... so, how about you and I make a promise?" Shido decided.

Origami showed surprise at that.

"You only know that a Spirit killed them, but do you know why? It could have been an accident. Worse, someone was attacking it, and they just were unlucky enough to be in crossfire." Shido stated.

"You're asking me to just ignore that!?" Origami demanded, looking a bit angered.

"No, I'm asking you let me learn what happened, and if there was truly no reason for what they did to your parents? Then I won't stop you, because I draw the line at killing someone without reason, but... in exchange, I don't want you hurting any more Spirits. They don't deserve to be hunted for something just one did." Shido begged.

Hearing his request, Origami was surprised, and after thinking over it for a while...

"Alright, if you're really serious about this... I'll trust your judgment for now." Origami agreed.

"Thank you." Shido sighed in relief.

"However, you need to understand there's still the problem of the Spacequakes. I can't just do nothing if a Spirit threatens the safety of everyone in the shelters. So, whatever you're trying to do..." Origami warned.

Shido nodded, understanding what she was telling him.

"That's fine, what I'm trying to do will remove that worry if it works out." Shido understood.

Origami raised an eye at that, wondering what he meant.

"And just what are you trying to do?" She inquired.

"I'm not sure if you'll believe me, but... someone says I might be able to seal their powers, and let them live like any other girl." He explained.

Her eyes widened at that.

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" She asked, unable to see how it could be true.

"Not now, but I'll prove it the only way I can... by sealing Yoshino's powers." He promised.

Sighing a bit, she relented to the idea, and began walking out of the alley. However, before she fully left, she turned to face Shido.

"Then... I guess next time a Spirit shows, we'll see if you're right." She stated.

As he watched her leave, he sighed a bit.

"Hey, Kotori? What I said to her... I hope that wasn't out of line." He asked.

『"No, I think you made a good point with that last part. If there really is a Spirit like that, then I wouldn't be surprised if she used such a situation just to kill you when you're guards down... so, I just hope we're all wrong about that."』 Kotori reassured him.

Shido relaxed in response to hearing this, and then...

**【** **"WARNING! YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! THERE HAVE BEEN PRECURSORY SIGNS OF AN IMPENDING SPACEQUAKE IN THE CITY! PLEASE EVACUATE TO YOUR NEAREST SHELTER! I REPEAT!"** **】**

Hearing that, his eyes widened.

"The Spacequake alarm? Kotori, does that mean-" Shido asked.

『"Hold on, we're identifying the Spirit right now. Though let's beam you up first."』 Kotori replied.

He was instantly brought back up, and after a bit...

Just as he expected, the Spirit confirmed to be tied to the quake was none other than Yoshino, and her Spacequake was much bigger than last time because of her panic.

"Her Spacequake's bigger this time... either that shows she's more mentally unstable, or perhaps her puppet's disappearance may have represented a limited on her abilities. Either way, her threat's much higher than the last time she appeared." Reine stated.

Shido looked at Kotori, who instantly realized what he was implying.

"Oh no, don't you even think about it! We told you last time you needed to run if her Angel came out! This isn't the time for you to be the hero!" Kotori refused.

"Will there ever be the right time!?" Shido questioned.

Kotori froze at that.

"Without her puppet, she's completely terrified right now! It was also the only thing holding her back from using her Angel! It doesn't matter when or how, I'll be in danger regardless! If I don't show up now, she'll think I lied to her, and we might never get this chance again!" Shido explained.

Hearing that, Kotori so desperately wanted to give a retort... yet she couldn't.

"He's right, Kotori. No one else can help her now. Right now, we could be seeing what's our last chance." Reine agreed.

"But..." Kotori replied.

After a few seconds, she groaned in response.

"Fine! Though if anything goes wrong, no one's pointing any fingers are me!" Kotori gave in.

She hit a button, sending Shido down to Yoshino's general location.

* * *

Landing on the ground, the first thing Shido saw was the AST flying around, gunning down at Yoshino. She quickly flew away, completely terrified due to the lack of her puppet, and being unable to find Shido. As she kept flying away, an AST member flew into her path, and caught her by surprise, making the Water Spirit crash into the ground.

"Yoshino!" Shido screamed.

"Yes, we've got her right where we want her." Ryouko cheered.

Origami was seen flying beside her captain, noticing the weak, petrified look on her face... which quickly made her see herself when her parents were killed.

Seeing the sight, she briefly froze in place, wondering why she would see such a thing.

"All troops, focus all your ammo on Hermit while we have the chance!" Ryouko ordered.

Ryouko and the others all began firing at her, their shots flying towards Yoshino... only for her to raise her hand up, and throw it to the ground. All of the wizards gasped as a familiar glow formed in response to her act.

" **Zadkiel!** "

All the incoming fire was blown away as a small blizzard formed, quickly forming the mechanical rabbit that was her Angel. Yoshino put her hands into the neck area, and instantly began moving it as it gave a threatening roar.

The landscape began to freeze over as Zadkiel began running through the air, soon dashing across the buildings as it followed its master's wish to escape.

"No way... she still summoned it!" Ryouko remarked in horror.

The AST tried to continue their fire, but Zadkiel quickly turned towards them, and fired off a beam of ice. While the tried to defend with their territories, the ice sucked all the magic out, causing their territory barriers to become icy bubbles that trapped them inside, but didn't freeze the girls inside, before they fell to the ground.

"Kotori, any advice?" Shido hoped as she asked her.

『"Nothing aside from run away from the ice at all costs."』 Kotori said, a slightly apologetic tone to her voice.

She sighed as she kept watching, wishing that it had been any other Spirit that Shido was dealing with.

'All of the Angels are equally dangerous, but... at least most are easier to predict than this one!' She thought worriedly.

Looking around, Shido noticed a ladder, and quickly climbed it to the roof of a building. In the process of doing this, Ryouko finally noticed his presence, and quickly turned to him.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing? It's not safe over there!" She shouted.

"Like I care!" Shido shouted back.

Not expecting that reaction, Ryouko was taken back. While she attempted to call out again, Yoshino screamed loudly, making Zadkiel start acting on its own as it simply responded to her panic.

'Damn it!' She thought, flying away.

Once Shido got to the top of the building, he took a deep breath.

"YOSHINO!"

Hearing his voice, Yoshino slowly turned her head, causing her to see Shido looking her away.

"Yoshino, I'm here! Just like I promised!" He shouted.

"Shido... you came." She said softly, tears in her eyes.

Zadkiel suddenly slowed to a stop, detecting its master's emotions were becoming more stable. The members of the AST who hadn't been frozen noticed this, surprising them all, with Ryouko outright flabbergasted.

'That boy just called out to her, and she stopped... could they have actually bonded?' Ryouko thought, trying to understand the situation.

At that moment, it looked like things were going to go smoothly... the AST Members that had been frozen finally got free, and unaware of the situation, one of them began charging a shot. At that same moment, Shido sensed the danger, and reacted to it.

"Watch out!" He shouted.

Jumping to the side, Yoshino watched as Shido was suddenly shot by an attack meant for her, making her eyes shake in horror.

Upon realizing that Shido had just been shot, and was likely dead, Origami suddenly fell to the ground, resting on her legs as the shock completely froze her. It made what Shido said to her earlier even worse...

_"If they're doing any damage, then it's because we're giving them reason to. Any that hate us? We've given them that hatred. They're not the enemy... not if we made them this way." Shido's voice echoed._

Yoshino was calm only seconds before, but now... she was crying tears of sadness, and then screamed in anguish.

"Shido!" She cried.

Zadkiel's roar became louder than ever before, and instantly charged a beam of ice that it fired in seconds. However, unlike the beam it fired before, all of the buildings in its path were actually ripped apart, rather than simply frozen.

"No way... is the Spirit getting stronger from its emotions?" Ryouko realized.

"Everyone, fall back! It's not safe!" She ordered, clear warning in her voice.

In an instant, the AST members obeyed her, especially the ones who fired the shot that did it, while Ryouko herself tried to spot Origami.

"Origami, do you read me!?" She shouted, trying to contact her.

However, while Origami could hear her... she drowned everything else out, the sight of Shido's death having completely overwhelmed her.

* * *

From the ship, Kotori bit down on her lollipop so hard, she completely crushed it.

'There's no way he'll be able to heal if that blizzard gets any worse!' Kotori thought.

Gripping her fist, she glared at the screen.

"I have no choice..." He whispered.

"Commander, what should do?" Kannazuki asked.

She stood up, walking out of the room.

"Commander?" He repeated.

"Kannazuki, you're in charge until further notice. I'm going out onto the field!" Kotori ordered.

"C-Commander, are you serious!?" He shouted.

Reine closed her eyes, understanding the situation.

"Kotori, 5 minutes is the best you can manage. Go any further and we can't guarantee what will happen." She warned.

Kotori briefly stopped, and nodded her head before she left the Fraxinus.

* * *

Origami was still frozen, and then noticed Shido's body motionless blow into view. Seeing it, she crawled over to it, staring at the sight of it.

'I didn't think I'd ever see this before... we did this, we killed someone! Not them... not the Spirits.' She thought.

"Hot! Hot! Hot!"

She suddenly widened her eyes, seeing some kind of fire burn on Shido's body, erasing the wound as he got back up.

"Huh? Where am I?" He asked.

Origami's eyes shook, unable to comprehend was she saw.

Shido was... alive. Yet how he was? His body burned with fire, something no human could do, and then she gave a silent gasp.

'He... can't be... can he?' She thought.

"Origami?" Shido blinked, finally noticing her presence.

"Shido... how did you survive that?" She asked, still unable to make sense of things.

"Survive that?" He repeated.

It took a moment to recall what he just did, and noticed his clothes were torn where he had been hit.

"Whoa, now I get why they think I'm the only one who can help the Spirits." He remarked.

'He... has no idea, does he?' Origami realized.

As all the AST tried to flee, they were chased by Zadkiel, forcing them to release energy nets to hold it down. The Angel continue to rampage at everyone, releasing an icy tornado in response to Yoshino's increasing screams, which caught Shido's attention.

"Yoshino... what can I do? I made a promise to do everything I could to protect her, but I'm not strong enough on my own. There's got to be a way I can help her!" Shido stated, feeling so useless right now.

Origami stared at him, recalling the words he said to her long ago.

'His heart is so... good. Just like when he saved me, he's not giving up on someone he feels needs help. Even if I can never forgive the Spirits, what I can do... is put my faith in him. Maybe, if he pulls this off, no one else will ever have to feel the way I felt that day.' She thought.

" **Megiddo!** "

A sudden burst of fire shot out, hitting the icy cyclone as a concentrated beam of heat. Origami's eyes widened as she saw it.

"What the..." Shido breathed out.

"That power... she's here." Origami stated, her eyes shaking.

Shido was confused by what she meant, only to see a sudden cocoon of flames in the air, with the brief sight of someone inside. The only thing he could make out was some kind of bladed weapon, and the color red, but nothing beyond that.

"Captain! Am I crazy, or is that-" An AST member asked.

"No, that's definitely **«** Efreet **»** in the sky right now. Everyone, change your targets to her!" Ryouko ordered.

Realizing she got their attention, Kotori smirked before flying off, causing the AST members to chase after her. Origami screamed as she flew at her, making Shido's eyes widen a bit.

"Looks like that's the Spirit she thinks killed her parents." Shido realized.

『"Shin, do you read me?"』 Kannazuki asked, trying to reach him.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm here. Where's Kotori?" Shido replied.

『"She's unconscious at the moment. Considering we thought you were dead, the shock was just too much for her."』 Reine lied, keeping an eye on Kotori's time limit.

Shido paled at that, realizing he'd really need to apologize to her later.

『"Never mind that for now, you need to reach Yoshino before it's too late. That other Spirit's given you an opening by weakening that icy cyclone."』 Kannazuki reminded him.

"Are you sure I can even get through it? I'm not sure I'd survive that!" Shido asked worriedly.

『"Don't worry, had you tried before that that beam of flame hit, then it would have been a worry. Until that moment, you would have had to act like you were dodging machine gun fire, but now it'll just be the equivalent to a heavy pelting of hail, which is survivable."』 Reine explained.

Shido wasn't sure how much that was supposed to comfort him, but he shrugged it off.

"Alright, guess I've got not choice... here goes nothing!" Shido exclaimed.

He shouted as he rushed ahead, with Kotori giving him one last look as he rushed through the icy cyclone.

'My work here is done.' She smiled.

She sharply turned around, creating an explosion of flames that blinded the AST while she was instantly beamed herself back to the Fraxinus. When the flames cleared, everyone noticed Kotori had disappeared.

Origami gave a slight glare, angered she lost a chance at the most likely culprit behind her parents' murderer.

* * *

Within the center of the icy cyclone she created, Yoshino was seen crying on top of Zadkiel, which had seen slumped on the ground due to Yoshino taking her hands out of its neck area, rendering it unable to act.

"Shido... I'm so sorry... this is all my fault." Yoshino cried.

"There's nothing... to be sorry for." He reassured her.

Hearing that sound, she turned her head to see Shido walk into view, stumbling through the darkness her icy shelter had created.

"Shido!?" She gasped n surprise.

Right as he fully came into view, he finally collapsed from the flurry of ice that had hit him.

Yoshino got off Zadkiel, which quickly vanished in response, and ran up to Shido, hoping he was OK. She reached her hands out, and in response, noticed his body suddenly emit flames in a few places. While she expected them to harm him further, she quickly realized they were actually healing him, and promptly vanished when the wounds they were burning over were no more.

"Hey there, Yoshino... it took a while... but I made it." Shido wheezed out, his stamina just as bad as it was prior to collapsing.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't find your puppet, but... I still kept my other promise."

After a few seconds... Yoshino suddenly began to cry, making Shido shrug off any fatigue he had as gave a look of concern.

"Oh no, what's wrong? Hey... please don't cry, everything's gonna be alright." Shido reassured her.

"Thank you." She sniffled.

Shido was surprised by that, though he soon realized she was crying because she was _happy_ right now.

"You're just so... nice. I've never met someone as kind as you, and... I'm so glad you're still alive! Thanks for coming to save me." Yoshino continued crying, all her emotions finally flowing out.

Upon hearing that, Shido smiled at her.

"Glad to do it." Shido replied, rubbing her head.

At that moment, he heard a ding through his headset.

『"Shin, good news. Yoshino's happiness meter has finally become high enough for you to seal her."』 Reine alerted him.

"Oh, so... how do I do that?" Shido asked.

Hearing that, everyone in the Fraxinus realized what they had forgotten to tell Shido.

『"Guess that's what we forgot. Well, to explain, sealing her powers is more like siphoning them, and to do that? You... have to kiss her."』 Reine explained.

Shido's face froze at that, feeling something more than simply awkward at the situation before him.

But, he still made a promise, so he decided he'd suck it up.

"Oh, um... Yoshino? In other for me to fully save you, there's something we need to do, and... that would be we have to kiss." Shido warned her.

"Kissing?" Yoshino repeated.

He sweated a bit, turning his head, leaving him to miss Yoshino make a certain expression.

"W-well... not really. We don't have to do that if you don't want-" He told her.

Before he could properly react, Yoshino moved forward, and placed her lips against Shido's for a brief moment.

"Was that OK with you?" She asked after pulling back.

"Y-yeah..." He replied, blushing from the surprise.

"I'm glad." Yoshino smiled.

**「** **Asterisk War: Waiting for the Rain** **」**

At that moment, Yoshino suddenly felt her clothes glow, and her Astral Dress, which was made of light, slowly began to dissolve away. Shido gasped in response, giving a hoarse sound from his throat at the scene before him, clearly having not expected it.

Covering herself up, the Water Spirit showed just as much confusion at the situation, even if she wasn't as embarrassed about it.

"Whoa... what's happening, Shido?" She asked.

"I... have no idea." Shido replied, his voice shrieking a bit.

In a few seconds, the clouds above them scattered, leaving everyone to stare at the sky before them. In that moment, Yoshino saw something she had never seen during any of her visits on Earth...

A big rainbow, shining across the sky as if to mark a beacon of hope.

"Beautiful." She remarked, her eyes sparkling at it.

It was seconds later that Ryouko checked her Wiring Suit's readings, and saw that Hermit's readings had disappeared upon Yoshino being sealed.

"We've lost Hermit... Everyone, let's head back so repairs can be started." Ryouko ordered.

"Yes ma'am!" The AST members replied.

Looking at the sky, Origami turned around, looking at the spot where Shido was sitting with Yoshino, having since given her his jacket.

'He actually did it... guess he did know what he was doing.' Origami thought.

* * *

Shido and Yoshino soon found themselves beamed back onto the ship, with Reine being the first to great them.

"You did a good join out there, Shin." Reine praised, giving him a rare smile.

"Uh... thanks, but can you explain what happened after I kissed Yoshino?" He asked, motioning to his coat around Yoshino's body.

Reine tilted her head for a moment, making Shido blink.

"Well, considering you sealed her powers, it wouldn't be too strange to say that was the only thing that made her outfit exist." She answered.

That reply made Shido turn red, with Yoshino not understanding the meaning behind their talk.

"Shido!" Kotori shouted.

"Oh god!" Shido jumped in fear.

He was right to react that way, with Kotori storming into view with an angry look.

"Kotori, I'm sorry for-" Shido tried to say.

"You... stupid idiot!" She screamed.

Shido coughed in pain, making Yoshino gasp as he nearly collapsed to his feet, while Reine just gave a stare as her mouth briefly opened. Before he hit the ground, Kotori caught him in a hug, and he saw her crying.

"Why did you do something so crazy and stupid!? What if... something had happened?" She sniffled, shaking as he held him close.

He smiled before hugging her closer, and lightly rubbed her back.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, and I'll try my best not to pull a stunt like that again." He promised her.

**「** **Insert Song End** **」**

Kotori's response to that was just continuing to cry, digging her face into his chest as she did. Yoshino and Reine watched the scene between the two siblings play out, with Yoshino giving a light smile, and Reine... well, she everyone was sure she was happy despite her expression not showing it very well.

Once his little sister had finished shedding all his tears, Shido turned towards Yoshino.

"You have the chance to live as you want now, Yoshino." Shido smiled.

"From now on, I'll be by your side." Yoshino smiled.

Shido nodded at that, leaving Ratatoskr proud as they finally rescued the first of many Spirits.

* * *

The following day, Kotori was seen smiling in her class as her teacher motioned to the side.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to our new transfer student." Her teacher smiled.

The new student in question was revealed to be Yoshino.

"H-hi there, my name is... Yoshino Mizui. It's really nice to meet all of you." Yoshino greeted, a nervous blush on her face.

As she smiled, the scene zoomed away from Kotori's school.

Eventually, it zoomed out so much that it went past the sky, went past the atmosphere, went past space and the stars themselves! Eventually, the sight of a huge blue sphere came into view as it stood beside ten others.

Inside the blue sphere, Yoshino's smile was seen, mimicking the one that was being made by the Spirits shown in those other spheres... no, in those other universes where the role she had in this one wasn't hers.

Regardless of that fact, in the only world she knew of... this was her story she'd get to live.

* * *

**That's it for the first arc of Yoshino's story, and the completion of the remake of everything from the original story. I hope you enjoyed the new story, and for everyone that enjoyed the original, that this didn't disappoint. When we start this next arc, we'll finally be seeing the part of this series of stories I'm most excited to do... the Tohka switcheroo!**

**This time, we'll be seeing how things go with Tohka when she's not the first, already has her name, is definitely a former Human, and most of all... keeps the personality she has when she first meets Shido. Do know that this is only for this story among the Sephira Chronicles, due to how quickly Tohka shows up. Like how Origami's influenced by the Spirit that Shido meets first, Tohka will change depending on which Spirit she replaces in appearance order.**

**So, for those still stumped in trying to understand the final scene? Well... time for me to reveal that all of the Sephira Chronicles stories are none other than alternate realities to canon! See, when Westcott created Mio, something neither he, or even Mio herself ever found out was he created a multiverse, ten other realities that each had one part of the Sephirot in focus.**

**Basically, canon is the Malkuth Sephira, and this story is the Chesed Sephira. This is the reason why Yoshino is the focal Spirit in this story, because while she exists in all 11 universes, this is the universe focused on her spot in the Sephirot, which makes her the most important Spirit living in it. By extension, this is connected to the second pair of shared story traits I couldn't mentioned in the first chapter.**

**Also, if I feel like it... you might eventually see a story in this series where each universe's main spirit meets up with one another :3**

**Now, since we've finished this first arc of the story, I'd like everyone to know how the update schedule works. It works by an arc rotation system, which each story in the Sephira Chronicles being done before moving up a volume. In this case, as we're doing Yoshino's story, Kurumi will be next due to her being the third Spirit to debut overall. As such, this story won't update again until I finish the first arc of Mio's story.**

**Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^**

* * *

**And... just kidding! *giggles***

**There's one more scene left, and I think you'll already have a good idea what it is considering what I just said above.**

**So, without further ado? This story's only instance of an epilogue scene.**

* * *

In a different part of the world, the sight of a Spacequake going off was seen, quickly prompting that region's local equivalent to the AST to act.

"Everyone, take down **«** Princess **»** , and hold nothing back!" The captain ordered.

"Roger!" They replied.

Within the crater, the sight of a with long, purple-colored hair was seen. Her outfit was that of a princess' ballgown, explaining her code name, but if it was mostly made of armor like that of a knight. Purple energy leaked out around her, and there was a throne of sorts leaving the ground. She immediately reached for it, and pulled out a sword with a crystalline edge to it.

" **Sandalphon.** "

It took but a mere swing, and she instantly sent all the Wizards flying, almost looking insulted by how easy it is.

"Is this truly all you have to challenge me with?" Tohka questioned.

Right after saying that, she suddenly felt something different in the air, making her turn towards the direction of Tenguu City, somehow detecting one of her fellow Spirits losing their powers.

"This odd feeling... yes, I must see what's caused it." Tohka remarked, glaring towards that direction.

Jumping high into the air, she quickly disappeared from view.


End file.
